Zultan 13" Raw Hi-Hat

Had to buy these based on youtube reviews etc, would have preferred Thomman put up audio samples for like for like on site comparison to other options. Was looking for the particular sound these hats are trying to crib (Turk), but without the price tag.

These aren't distinctively stamped 'made in turkey' in that particular way like the dark matter range which sort of suggests a certain factory which may have a hand in turning those out didn't turn these out.

Nice solid expressive bell. Nice stick articulation. Dry, but not super dry, less dry than expected or compared to the better known ones. Avoids excessive slosh if you like that in your open hats. Quality control seems ok. Medium weight and responsive. Don't think I'd have liked the 14"s as much.

I've got some 14" Zultan Rock Beats and to be honest these kind of feel and remind me of a lighter weight version of those given a different treatment. Nothing wrong with that, I wanted some 13"s with a particular sound in mind and didn't want to break the bank and could not have done better at this price point.

This hi hat is raw in every sense, both sonically and aesthetically. What I really liked about it is the open and chick sound. Very nice for funky patterns. VERY NICE. Unfortunately I really disliked the closed sound, especially on the body. It was full of high ringing tones and also a substantial low humming tone. I've placed a wide bottom hihat felt inside the bell of the bottom cymbal and this took care of the low humming to an extent. I also had to make a triangle with gaff tape inside the bottom cymbal, to take away even more of the low hum. Passable. For the top cymbal I had to replace the bottom felt with a large one in order to control some of the ringing, but it was still there, although acceptable. What was strange is that the ringing frequencies and the amount of them changed drastically if I rotated the cymbal. At some spots the ringing was almost non-existent while on others it was beyond acceptable. Without this ringing this hihat would be quite good for the price. And now the aesthetic rawness: both cymbals came with lots of scratches both on the inside and on the outside, especially around the bell. I get it, it's raw. And I'd get used to it. What bothered me the most was that the hole in the bottom cymbal was way off center. You could spot it visually right away and of course the cymbal was severely tilted when mounted on a stand. Sure, they are relatively inexpensive, but drilling a hole exactly in the center is not rocket science, unless this is done by someone using a hand drill, and even then it's perfectly possible. At the end, I had to return this hihat, because it was simply too raw in all respects and based on this experience I'll stay away from Zultan. They're just not suitable for picky ears.

Obviously one always has to consider the quality / price ratio of the product, but I trully believe this guy, althoug good enough could deliver a bit more based on what it costed and how easy it is to get other turkish cymbals for not much more.

Regarding finishing, the hammering is kind of unfinished and very inconsistent on some parts of the cymbal. Also the hole is not totaly filed.
About the sound it matches the style but there is kind of a rubberish/plastic overtone to it.

After this experience, I've actually tried brand cymbals for around the same price and managed to get more love out of them.